Care and Maintenance Tips #6

Part 6 of our 8 Part Series is all about your car’s tires.Â One of the most important parts of your car they should be maintained well and, if done, this maintenance will save you a good deal of money during the life of your car in terms of lowered fuel costs and repair costs as well.

Maintaining your car tire’s proper inflation is vital. Experts recommend checking tire pressure at least once a month and more if you live where it’s always very hot.Â Checking tires when they are cold or in the morning is the best time of day to get an accurate reading of the psi.

If you use an air pump at your local gas station check to see that there’s no moisture coming from the pump itself by putting your thumb over it and seeing if it gets wet.Â If it does you may want to inform the attendant and then go to another station until the problem is fixed as even a little bit of water inside the tires can cause the rims to corrode and pressure variations that could damage the tires.

If you keep the tire pressure checked but still find that your tires are wearing unevenly you may consider going to get the alignment checked. Uneven wear may also be a sign of bad brakes, shocks or a bent wheel as well as worn bushings or other tire damage.

Driving on bad treads is not only bad for the car but is also quite dangerous.Â Most tires these days have ‘wear bars’ that will tell you when it’s time to get them replaced.Â A great way to check and see if your tires are still good is to grab a quarter (American, .25 cents) and put it so that President Washington’s head is inserted between the treads.Â If part of his head is inside the tread you’re still good but if not the tires should be replaced ASAP.

Rotating the tires regularly is an excellent idea to make sure that they wear evenly and you get the most out of every set.Â Experts will tell you that the first rotation is the most important so check your manual or ask the dealer to make sure that you don’t miss it.

If you live in an area of the country where the temperatures go to extremes on a daily basis check your tire pressure more often.Â Also, make sure that you always have caps on all 4 of the inflation valves as they can leak if not capped and cause under-inflation problems.

How about those great Tips! Not bad right?!Â We hope you like them and use them and, when you’re ready for more, come join us for Part 7!